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Smith College Studies in Social Work
Lectures & Conferences

Summer Lecture Series 2013

The Smith College School for Social Work is pleased to again be offering its lively and informative summer lecture series to area professionals, students, and alumni. All lectures take place in the Weinstein Auditorium, located in Wright Hall on the Smith College Campus. Lectures start at 7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

Continuing Education Credits (CECs)

Lectures also provide one and one-half (1.5) Continuing Education Credits (CECs). The cost to register for CECs will be $15 per lecture. Those who wish to earn CECs should arrive 15 minutes ahead of the lecture to register; the registration fee will be collected at that time. Payment must be made by check or money order ONLY.

Handicap Accessibility

Weinstein Auditorium is located in Wright Hall on the Smith College campus and is handicapped accessible. For individual disability accommodations please contact the Office of the Dean at (413) 585-7983 or at mneely@smith.edu at least three weeks in advance of the lecture.

Lecture & faculty Descriptions

Monday, June 3
Relational Psychoanalytic Practice: Subjectivity
and Self-Disclosure

Melanie Suchet, Ph.D.

Relational psychoanalysis opened the doors to exploring the analyst's subjectivity, both in terms of the patient's perceptions of this subjectivity and the actual subjectivity. The liberation of subjectivity from the earlier classical position threw open the door to exploring countertransference in a completely different way. No longer the dreaded faux pas of treatment, countertransference/transference dynamics gave way to ideas about intersubjectivity, co-created structures and enactments. Suddenly the questions being asked of the analyst were where and how to use the self. With this paradigm shift in terms of the nature of the analytic relationship and the use of self, the role of self-disclosure became a heated topic of contention.

This lecture will explore the analyst's subjectivity in relation to self disclosure. Has the pendulum swung to a point where self disclosures are not only permissible but valorized? How does the analyst find the right balance between an open, authentic experience which depends on the use of their subjectivity and a careful, thoughtful approach that does to thrust the analyst's self unnecessarily onto center stage?

Melanie Suchet, Ph.D., is an associate editor of Psychoanalytic Dialogues and a contributing editor of Studies in Gender and Sexuality. She is a faculty member at the Stephen A. Mitchell Center for Relational Studies and in private practice in Manhattan. She is the originator and co-editor of Relational Psychoanalysis: Volume 3 dedicated to bringing to the fore newer ideas, especially political and social issues and introducing newer literary forms of writing. She is particularly interested in issues of otherness: sexuality, gender, race, class, and culture.

Monday, June 10
Mixed Methods Research and Social Work:
State-of-the-Art
Brown Clinical Research Institute Lecture

John W. Creswell, Ph.D.

This is a lecture on the basics of mixed methods research for the novice researcher. I begin with examples from social work to illustrate the types of mixed methods studies being conducted. I then discuss the growing popularity of mixed methods research in the social and health sciences and give examples of this popularity. I describe the major characteristics of a mixed methods study and provide an overview of the technological developments in the field to emerge, especially in the last ten years. I then focus on one a core feature of mixed methods research: the types of mixed methods designs, and discuss the three basic designs and three advanced designs. I discuss the major elements of each design, indicate the detailed procedures in conducting the design, and provide diagrams of the procedures in designs using actual mixed methods studies in the health sciences.  To end the presentation I talk about some of the initiatives underway to enhance the use of mixed methods in the social sciences, such as methodological articles in leading disciplinary journals, the development of "best practice" recommendations at NIH, and the conferences and workshops available for the novice mixed methods researcher. In the end, the participant will have a solid introduction to the field of mixed methods research.

John W. Creswell, Ph.D., is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition to teaching at the University, he has authored numerous articles on mixed methods research, qualitative methodology, and general research design and 12 books, many of which focus on types of research designs, comparisons of different qualitative methodologies, and the nature and use of mixed methods research. His books are translated into many languages and used around the world. He held the Clifton Institute Endowed Chair for five years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For the last five years, Dr. Creswell served as a co-director at the Office of Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, which provided support for scholars incorporating qualitative and mixed methods research into projects for extramural funding. He served as the founding Co-Editor for the Sage journal, the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, and as an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan where he assisted investigators in the health sciences and education with research methodology for National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation projects. He also served extensively as a consultant in the health services research area for the Veterans Administration. Dr. Creswell was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to South Africa and in 2008 lectured to faculty at five universities on education and the health sciences. In 2012 he again was a Senior Fulbright Scholar to Thailand. In 2011 he served as a co-leader of a national working group developing “best practices” for mixed methods research in the health sciences that has been disseminated to all 23 Institutes and Research Centers for NIH. For 2013, Dr. Creswell will be a Visiting Professor at Harvard's School of Public Health in the spring term, accept an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria in South Africa, and conduct mixed methods training at Cambridge University in the UK.

Monday, June 17
Change Your Brain by Transforming Your Mind
Lydia Rapoport Lecture

Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D.

This talk will present an overview of studies conducted in our laboratory on neural changes associated with different forms of meditation. Distinctions among three major forms of meditation practice will be made: Focused Attention; Open Monitoring; and Positive Affect Training. These different forms of meditation have different neural and behavioral effects. Data from studies on long-term meditation practitioners as well as those with shorter durations of training will be highlighted. In addition, some longitudinal studies that track changes over time with meditation practice will be reviewed. In addition to the neural changes that have been observed, this talk will also summarize changes that have been found in peripheral biology that may modulate physical health and illness. The central circuitry of emotion is especially implicated in peripheral biological changes that have consequences for health. The overall conclusion from these studies is that one can transform the mind through meditation and thereby alter the brain and the periphery in ways that may be beneficial for mental and physical health, and for well-being.

Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., is William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, Director of the Waisman Brain Imaging Lab and the Lab for Affective Neuroscience, Founder and Chair and the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Psychology, at UW-Madison since 1984. Dr. Davidson received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1976. He has published more than 290 articles, many chapters and reviews and edited 14 books. He is author (with Sharon Begley) of "The Emotional Life of Your Brain" published by Penguin in 2012. Dr. Davidson received a NIMH Research Scientist Award, a MERIT Award from NIMH, and the William James Fellow Award from the American Psychological Society. He is Past-President of the Society for Research in Psychopathology and of the Society for Psychophysiological Research. He was the year 2000 recipient of the most distinguished award for science given by the American Psychological Association - the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2006. In 2011, he was given the Paul D. MacLean Award for Outstanding Neuroscience Research in Psychosomatic Medicine. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Board at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences from 2011-2017 and as Chair of the Psychology section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 2011-2013.

Monday, June 24
Anti-Racism Work in Clinical Practice
Anti-racism Lecture

Moderator: Michael Funk, Ph.D.; Enroue Halfkenny, LCSW; Arden O'Donnell, M.P.H, M.S.W, LICSW; and Elizabeth Rodriguez-Keyes, Ph.D., LCSW

This panel brings together a group of Smith College School for Social Work graduates to discuss how they put antiracism work into action in a clinical context. Panelists include: Enroue Halfkenny, LCSW; Arden O'Donnell, LICSW; and Elizabeth Rodriguez-Keyes, LCSW. We are also pleased to welcome Michael Funk, Ph.D. back as a facilitator for this panel. 

Michael Funk, Ph.D. Michael Funk, Ph.D., currently serves as Director, of the New York University College of Arts and Science's Academic Achievement Program. He received his doctorate in 2012 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Social Justice Education program. His dissertation, Making Something of It, explores The Untold Stories of Promising Black Males at a Predominately White Institution of Higher Education. Michael is proud to celebrate his fifth year as a member of the 334 (Racism in the U.S.) & 533 (Institutional Racism) teaching team. This summer he is sharing the role as the Senior Bertha Reynolds Fellow.

Enroue Halfkenny, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, a graduate of Smith College School for Social Work, an artist, a social justice activist and a priest within the traditional Yoruba culture and religion. He works part-time at a child and family community mental health clinic addressing issues of complex trauma and problematic sexual behaviors and has recently started a private practice, Healing and Liberation Counseling.

Arden O'Donnell, M.P.H, M.S.W, LICSW currently works as a Palliative care social worker at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.  Arden plays an active role in the supervision and education of student interns at BWH, sits on the Ethics committee and the Social Work advisory board.  She has her Master's in International Public Health and spent years in Southern Africa running programs and providing psychosocial support orphans and vulnerable children. Arden founded and still runs a small non-profit based in Zimbabwe that provides educational and psychosocial support to orphans.  Arden was a foster parent for three years and adopted a sibling group while attempting to get her blue slip! Arden graduated from Smith in 2008.

Elizabeth Rodriguez-Keyes, Ph.D., LCSW holds an MSW from New York University School of social Work and a Doctorate from Smith College School for Social Work. She has been a full time faculty member at SCSU since 2007. Dr. Rodriguez-Keyes has been practicing clinical social work since 1992. Dr. Rodriguez-Keyes teaching responsibilities have been primarily in the undergraduate program and included practice courses, human behavior in the social environment and Seminar in Field Instruction (SIFI). She has maintained a clinical appointment at the Yale Child Study center where she conducts clinical supervision and leads two supervision seminars. Dr. Rodriguez-Keyes research interest includes bicultural experience of Latinas, clinical supervision, teaching with technology and synchronous learning. Dr. Rodriguez-Keyes is on the editorial board of Journal of Family Social Work.

Monday, July 1
A Clinically Meaningful Understanding of People with Disabilities and the Impact of Ableism

Andrea Neumann-Mascis, Ph.D.

In this lecture we will review the evolution of disability as an identity, a community and a field of study. We will examine the impact of disability and ableism from a sociopolitical perspective and a psychodynamic perspective and we will identify the ways in which disability and the impact of ableism can shape clinical themes. Finally, we will develop a dimensional framework for providing informed and meaningful care to this diverse community of people.

Andrea Neumann-Mascis, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with areas of specialty that include gender variance, trauma and physical and psychiatric disability. Dr. Neumann- Mascis has been working as a provider, educator and activist since 1992 and has had access to working with people in a wide range of setting including in-patient hospital units, community mental health settings and street level outreach and shelter programs.

Dr. Neumann-Mascis founded and developed The Meeting Point: a Multidimensional Center for Healing and Growth in Jamaica Plain, MA. The Meeting Point serves the LGBTQ community, survivors and the disability community, and is growing to meet the unique strengths and needs of queer people and their allies through community activity and personalized approaches to wellness

Monday, July 15
DBT Principles in Action: Psychotherapy of Disorders of Severe Emotional Dysregulation

Charles Swenson, M.D.

With 18 successful randomized controlled trials, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment for disorders of severe emotional dysregulation, including borderline personality disorder, substance use disorders, eating disorders, and complex post-traumatic stress disorders.  It is effective with adults, adolescents, and families.  The treatment manual directs the therapist in the use of about 85 strategies in the treatment of well-defined behavioral targets, along with the teaching and generalization of almost 100 coping skills.  To effectively apply a treatment this complex for disorders this severe and chronic, the experienced therapist relies on a deep understanding of the three underlying paradigms of DBT, and how to use them to navigate and transform challenging moments in sessions. This lecture will provide a detailed discussion of the three paradigms, their associated principles, and how they inform the therapist in sessions. Several case examples will be used to illustrate the teaching.

Charles Swenson, M.D., is Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry for University of Massachusetts Medical School, Senior Psychiatrist for the Central-West Area of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, and is in the private practice of psychotherapy and psychiatry in Northampton, MA. He graduated from Harvard College in Biology in 1972, and graduated from Yale Medical School in 1976. He did his psychiatric training at Yale Medical School, during which he also was in psychoanalytic training at the Western New England Psychoanalytic Institute. He was on the faculty of Cornell Medical School from 1982 to 1996, developing and directing treatment programs for individuals with borderline disorders. He began to learn Dialectical Behavior Therapy in 1988, and since that time has developed and directed DBT programs, practiced and supervised DBT therapy, published articles and book chapters regarding DBT and borderline personality disorder, and directed more than 100 workshops on the use of DBT, including 30 ten-day intensive seminars. Dr. Swenson is currently under contract with Guilford Press, writing an advanced book for DBT therapists.

Friday, July 19
Sex and Gender in the Olympics and the Real World
Annual Conference and E. Diane Davis Memorial Lecture

J. Michael Bostwick, M.D.

Individuals with intersex conditions challenge binary definitions of sex and gender. Through two cases -- one an international celebrity, the other a patient who presented in routine clinical practice -- Dr. Bostwick will explore challenges facing individuals who fail to fit neatly into either male or female categories, and suggest that such neat delineations are ultimately specious.

J. Michael Bostwick, MD, FAPM is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean for Admissions in Mayo Medical School. He has research interests in diverse psychosomatic topics and suicidology, specifically as it relates to the medical-surgical hospital environment and end-of-life ethical clarification and decision-making. He teaches a prize-winning course to first-year medical students, “Disruptions in Development”, and teaches or supervises medical students and psychiatry residents at all levels of training. Earlier in his life, Dr. Bostwick was a professional reporter. He is currently the Psychiatry Section Editor and editorial board member of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings and also an editorial board member of General Hospital Psychiatry.

Monday, July 29
Women in the Military: Rewards and Challenges

Kathryn Basham, M.S.W., Ph.D.

Fourteen percent of our current active duty armed forces are women. Although there is ongoing controversy related to the appropriate roles for servicewomen, it is generally agreed upon that they fully engage in a wide range of duties and responsibilities during deployment, comparable to their male counterparts. Yet, inequities in pay and recognition have prevailed. Recently, the 1994 ban restricting women's jobs in the military was repealed by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.  

Research and clinical literature address aspects of resilience as well as unique issues facing servicewomen. They include: health and mental health outcomes; caregiving of children and elders; moral integrity/moral injury; military sexual trauma; and negotiating a masculinized culture. A synthesis of feminist, attachment and trauma theories, bolstered by neurobiology, informs a clinical social work practice approach with these servicewomen and their families. Clinical case material will be used to illustrate the rewards and challenges facing these women in the military.

Kathryn Basham, Ph.D., LICSW, as Professor, Co-Director of the Ph.D. Program and Editor of the Smith College Studies in Social Work engages in research, writing, clinical social work practice and education related to the effects of deployment and combat stress on the re-integration of servicemembers, Veterans and their families. Dr. Basham earned both her MSW and Ph.D. degrees in clinical social work. She has been appointed to three congressionally mandated committees with the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies of Science charged to explore issues related to enhancing the mental health treatment of military and Veteran families. The current four-year committee that is producing two published texts focuses on the evaluation of efficacy of treatment of PTSD with servicemembers, Veterans and their families.

In this setting, Dr. Basham co-authored four texts published by the Institute of Medicine, National Academies of Science::Titles include: PTSD: Diagnosis and Treatment (2006); Physiologic, Psychological and Psychosocial Effects of Deployment-Related Stress with Gulf War Veterans (2008): Provision of Mental Health Counseling under TRICARE (2010): and this past year in 2012- the Assessment of Ongoing Efforts in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. In earlier years, she published a co-authored text with Dennis Miehls titled, Transforming the Legacy: Couple Therapy with Survivors of Childhood Trauma (2004) and has also focused her scholarship on inter-cultural practice and pedagogy and diversity.

She has authored and co-authored numerous papers on these topics and has presented in both national and international forums, including Walter Reed National Medical Center, several Veterans Administration Medical Centers, the Canadian Forces Social Worker Corps, Austen Riggs Institute and various professional organizations. Dr. Basham served on the Executive committee of the Council for Social Work Education to design military work competencies and participated on the expert panel of NASW to design credentials in military social work at the BSW, MSW and Advanced Clinical MSW levels. She is an active participant in a national interdisciplinary organization titled the Alliance for Military and Veteran Family Behavioral Health Providers. She works collaboratively with Jean La Terz on a pilot research project exploring the effectiveness of a couple therapy approach developed for Military and Veteran couples, grounded in neurobiology, attachment and trauma theories.

Dr. Basham has been awarded the honor as a distinguished clinical practitioner with the National Academies of Practice and maintains a clinical practice in Northampton, MA specializing in clinical social work practice with individuals, couples and families, supervision and consultation.

Address: Smith College School for Social Work, Lilly Hall, Northampton, MA 01063 Email address: kbasham@smith.edu Phone: 413-585-7959 FAX: 413-585-7994

Monday, August 5
Promoting Representative Leadership Structures in Social Justice and Social Service Agencies
Panel Presentation

Stanley A. Holbrook, M.B.A., M.P.M., M.T.S.; Arlenis Morel; Dora Robinson, M.S.W.

Hear from three panelists about how they have worked to create organizational leadership structures that represent the communities they serve. Panelists will address the ways in which their organizational leadership structures address institutional, cultural and individual racism, classism, able-ism, heterosexism, linguicism, and citizenship status. The Monday night lecture will be followed by an interactive workshop offering students the opportunity to reflect on both how to influence agency context upon graduation, and implications for the organizational structure of SSW student groups. Both events are co-sponsored by Anti-Racism Task Force, the Council for Students of Color, the Disability Awareness Group, and the Social Welfare Action Alliance.

Stanley A. Holbrook, M.B.A., M.P.M., M.T.S. graduated from the Heinz School of Public Policy and Management of Carnegie Mellon University with a Master's degree in Public Management. In addition, he has an MBA in International Business and Strategic Planning from Point Park College and earned a Master's Degree in Theological Studies from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Mr. Holbrook also graduated from Geneva College with a Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management.

With over twenty years of experience, Mr. Holbrook has added valuable support to the field of Human Services. Some of his accomplishments at in his current position as President and CEO of Three Rivers Center for Independent Living (TRCIL) which empowers people with disabilities to lie self directed independent lives, he has worked as the Director of Special Projects at the Community College of Allegheny County (CACC) in Braddock, focusing on the recruitment, enrollment and retention of students. He also served as the Director of the Braddock Regional Service Center, managing the CCAC Host Agency in tasks such as job placement and training, and skill building.

Mr. Holbrook is also extremely active in the community, serving on committees and boards such as the American Society of Aging and the National Council for Independent Living (NCIL). He was instrumental in developing NCIL's Diversity Initiative, and has chaired that committee for 8 years. He is Vice-Chair of the Governor-appointed Statewide Independent Living Council and the President of the Pennsylvania Council of Independent Living. Mr. Holbrook also currently serves as a member of the Consumer Advisory committee of the University of Kansas Research and Training Center for Independent Living. Mr. Holbrook also served as a delegate to the White House Commission on Aging in 2005. He has also participated on the Network of Multicultural Aging committee (AOA) and the National Rehabilitation Association.

When not helping the community, Mr. Holbrook enjoys spending time with his wife, five children and grandchildren. He is a Minister at First Baptist Church of Penn Hills and is actively involved in various ministries. Happily, he would like to continue to follow his calling and make an impact in the lives of people with disabilities and the community at large.

Arlenis Morel immigrated to the United States from Venezuela in 1992, and is a long-time resident of the Bushwick neighborhood in Brooklyn. Arlenis became involved in MRNY through her mother Cristina Tineo who served on the organization's Board of Directors. In 2003, Arlenis joined MRNY as an Office Administrator and has since served in several positions in the organization. She now serves as MRNY's Director of Operations and is responsible for maintaining overall day-to-day operations in its Brooklyn, Queens, Long Island and Staten Island locations. She holds an Associate's Degree from Kingsborough Community College and is a graduate of Coro's Immigrant Civic Leadership Program (ICLP) for emerging immigrant leaders in the city and state. She's currently involved in a community change project that consist of creating better outreach strategies to engage community members to actively participate in public policy debates and decision-making at all levels of government, building their capacity to be agents of change.

Dora Robinson, M.S.W. has been president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Pioneer Valley since October of 2009. A resident of Springfield, Robinson brings a combination of leadership and strategic operational experience to United Way. Robinson is building a new business framework for the UWPV; that framework will address-in an intentional, deliberate and strategic manner-the underlying causes of the financial hardships facing today's families. Before joining United Way, Robinson served more than 25 years in human services administration including 18 years as president and chief executive officer of Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services, Inc. in Springfield. She previously served as Corporate Director of Child and Family Services at the Center for Human Development. At the Urban League of Springfield, Robinson has served as Vice President of Education and as an Associate Director of Camp Atwater as well as a Director of the Foster Grandparents Program. She is a Founding member of the MLK, Jr. Charter School of Excellence. Robinson holds a bachelor's degree from Cornell University and a master's degree in social work administration from the University of Connecticut and has completed graduate studies at Smith College School of Social Work. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities by Bay Path College in May 2009. Robinson currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Affiliated Chamber's Legislative Committee; Board Member and Clerk for the Massachusetts Provider Council Advisory Committee of the Boston Federal Reserve Community Advisory Council; Member of the Board of Directors of the MLK, Jr. Charter School of Excellence and other local, regional and statewide committees and professional organizations. In November 2009 she was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to serve a five-year term on the Board of trustees of Springfield Technical Community College. Robinson is an adjunct professor at Springfield College School of Social Work and Smith College School of Social Work. She is a professional consultant and advisor, lecturer and guest speaker throughout the region.